looks like we guna be fired...and kicked out of our home

[Piggy]

As some of you know me and my wife work on a small estate...one big ass house where some old money rich folk live...

We have a cottage on site, my wife does cleaning/laundry and I do garden/ground maintenance, care for the machinery, trees etc ect, general handyman stuff and care for dogs/chickens/horses where needed.

We have a contract and set hours.

Been working here for 15months.

Basically they now dont like it that we keep a tally of the hours we do...and are saying they want the work done no matter how long it takes, but wont pay us more.

A meeting has been called...looks bleak.

Im not happy but already do more hours than asked for, have saved them 1000s on repairs to cars, house and the cottage that I have almost completely done up for them...and previous employers didnt do any of that.

[powerandtorque]

That's really s**t potentially facing both you and your partner losing jobs and your house

Hopefully the meeting won't be as bad as you think and neither your jobs or house are threatened.

[Slam Wagon]

Sounds like a pretty shitty deal, hope it gets sorted out.

[shaverspeedengineering]

gutted for ya m8 .. some folk just dont kno wots good for them eh!!...
having been in a similar situation before ive come to the conclusion there's no pleasing some of these big money types....
im assuming that they believe that they are doing you (peasants) a favour...
when all along its you doing them all the favour's ....

good luck with it tho ... i was brow beaten into doing more hrs to keep the hs on .... for the sake of my family really...
if it was down to me i woulda kicked the self obsessed courdroy clad know it all right in the clanger's and told him to "jog along" mofo...

[Dave]

That sucks, but surely in your contract it'll stipulate the terms of work that needs to be carried out? That's what the contract is there for - if you've been doing more work for free they can't fire you if you no longer carry it out, nor can you expect to get any more wages from it. Concentrate on what's stipulated in the contract or get legal advice, but as you have tally's on the work carried out you need bring this forward or get them to amend the contract to encorporate the "do work for as long as it takes for no extra wage" and show it to CAB or someone who knows about this stuff. That's a shitty situation though but you have alot of legs to stand on if they're basically asking you to work for free? Especially if you have a contact and are on a payroll.

[C.A.R.]

You say you have saved them thousands, but how much have they saved you in the same time frame?

Just playing devils' advocate for a moment.

Do you pay rent on the cottage out of your wages or is the cottage included within the work contract? If you have set hours then why are you keeping track of them? Surely 9-5 then orf you go?

[r3k1355]

Well if they do let you go make sure you f*ck everything up before you leave.

Drain the oil out of all the machinery
Loosen all the plumbing in the house (especially old radiator valves)
Drain the heating system so the boiler won't fire
Plant a load of weeds in the flowerbed

etc etc etc

with abit of luck after a couple of weeks they'll be begging you to come back as everything has fallen apart.

[THE_Liam]

That's shit mate. I know a lad who's a gamekeeper which is a similar arrangement, want me to put you in touch? He's been doing it 7-8 years now.

[1616six]

I don't mean to be rude but what hours are you contracted? You're on here virtually all day every day?!

Sounds like an ideal cushy job but unfortunately nothing lasts forever.

Thing is who is in the wrong? They are saying they will now pay you a set price to do a job no matter if it takes an hour or all day? That could work in your favour too surely?

[Piggy]

The hours in contract are 7 a week for the mrs and 12 a week for me.

However with flexibilty in case I need to do more in summer and less in winter...but I have averaged 15hours a week over the year. I havnt moaned but its a bit cheeky I think to now say they want even more. And the mrs always fullfills her hours.

And both those hours dont allow for weekends where we care for the dogs/house security or chickens/feed horses.

They havnt 'saved' me anything, we get a cottage, but it was almost falling down when we moved in, hadnt been touched since it was converted in 1980s...we have all but completely redecorated. In and out.

Im almost ready to accept being fired then just sue them for unlawful dismissal

---

Thing is who is in the wrong? They are saying they will now pay you a set price to do a job no matter if it takes an hour or all day? That could work in your favour too surely?

No, they dont wana change what they pay us or the hours....they just want us to do more!

[C.A.R.]

Show me a derelict cottage which you can legally dwell in for free and modify at your own will and you'll start to see a correlation as to where I'm coming from.

It sounds as though you get paid as well as getting the cottage to live in - is that the case?

[Piggy]

Show me a derelict cottage which you can legally dwell in for free and modify at your own will and you'll start to see a correlation as to where I'm coming from.

It sounds as though you get paid as well as getting the cottage to live in - is that the case?

I realise it sounds a nice position to be in, and yes it is, but when are giving more than we asked for already, mainly due to what a nice job it is, and then constantly treated and talked to like we a servants and warned that we need to do more for nothing...does that not seem a bit unfair?

and all the work we are putting into this cottage is for our benefit in the short run, but is also saving them money and improving the value of it for them in the long run. Dont forget we are also basically on call 24/7 if they need us.

if your boss/bosses asked you to do overtime everyweek but for nothing, would you be ok wit that?

[THE_Liam]

The way it works for my mate is he gets 27k, a 2 bedroom cottage on the estate grounds (fully maintained) and a company car (Defender 110 pick up, awesome thing!), but in return he works when he's needed to. If nothing needs doing then he can sit on his arse which is how it tends to be sometimes, but he has spells where he'll be up at 3am and working until 10pm when a pheasant shoot is on, and then he'll have to get up in the night and fix fences, clear floods, herding animals...

[Dum-Dum]

Mate in some ways id look at what the rent on that cottage is worth as it's gorgeous and in a lush location. Think id be trying to meet them half way.

As for doing un paid and un planned overtime do you really want to whinge to me about that. I always have to do my first half hour unpaid "for the queen" (technically a crown servant) and some days my 8 hour shift has been known to turn into a 20hour plus shift at the drop of a hat.

[Eeyore]

Yeh thats many hours a week. Do you do any other work?

Work out what you should be being paid for a certain number of hours and then factor in a few hours over time. It will all average out. Some weeks you may do more and other weeks you may do less. Then take out an amount for the house and you should hopefully be left with a reasonable amount of pay for what they are asking. Its negotiation so dont go in there all guns blazing as you could blow it and loose everything. Maybe sort out a minimum contract so you cant be asked to move out at any point?

Then youd be stuck in a shitty 40 hour week job and have to pay for a house that isnt as nice as that one!

[Tom]

Tbh all this is pointless until you get in there and have a chat with them. Could be getting worked up over nothing. Like Rowell says aswell about the guns blazing, that is a sure fire way to get a foot up your ass and the opportunity to call yourself homeless.

[Poodle]

Work out whats more important to you - cushty job and house or pride...?

[Piggy]

Yeah we both have other work and have done all the math...did that before we commited.

Ive tallied my hours each week from the beginning under advice from good friends who are in similar positions.

Im open to a middle ground but we have been doing what they wanted and they been happy with for last 15months...then suddenly they blow up at us...seems bit unfair to me, sorry.

[Rich306]

Yeah we both have other work and have done all the math...did that before we commited.

Ive tallied my hours each week from the beginning under advice from good friends who are in similar positions.

Im open to a middle ground but we have been doing what they wanted and they been happy with for last 15months...then suddenly they blow up at us...seems bit unfair to me, sorry.

15 hours a week?! If I am reading this right it sounds pretty cushy!!!!

A roof over your head, a car a missus.... Sounds like you have your life in order mate...

Meet them on middle ground and work it out, just remember that you could be paying £700 on rent for a cottage plus your bills a month....

[Rippthrough]

Quick, somebody find a small violin for me to play!

Nah, seriously, you're just going to have to stay calm and thrash this one out with them over a brew, your contract has your hours in at the end of the day.

[Piggy]

We dont get a car by the way...duno where that idea has come from...

But it did feel like we hand landed on our feet for once in our life till we suddenly were promoted to slaves recently.

Wouldnt be so bad if they said thanks once in a while, but the word "thankyou" doesnt seem to be in their vocab

[Eeyore]

So when are you going to talk to them about this?

[Piggy]

Kinda awaiting for our presence to be required.

They have dinner parties this weekend and we must remain invisible

[C.A.R.]

So you have a work contract, do you also have a Tenancy Agreement?

I think it's a bit rich to consider your situation akin to slavery - you're getting a cushy lifestyle that was your choice to take up. Nobody is forcing you to do anything.

Consider your options, but also consider that most of us on here work many more hours and have much higher outgoings than you do, making you comparatively 'well off'

[Piggy]

Yeah we have a seperate tenancy agreement.

I appreciate what you are saying, but I also worked hard to get this position and dont pick at others decisions on work here

[Connor]

So you have a work contract, do you also have a Tenancy Agreement?

I think it's a bit rich to consider your situation akin to slavery - you're getting a cushy lifestyle that was your choice to take up. Nobody is forcing you to do anything.

Consider your options, but also consider that most of us on here work many more hours and have much higher outgoings than you do, making you comparatively 'well off'

So getting a house as part of a job offer, means you can be taken advantage of? Sorry, but you dont half chat shit sometimes. So people who get company cars ect means that they should be expected to work for free, even though the car is needed for the job role (read house in piggys situation)

[r3k1355]

Sounds like you need to sit down with the boss and sort out a proper contract.

Put together the both of you are contracted for 19 hours a week.
Thats not enough to cover rent on a house, let along have anything else remaining.

[Piggy]

Sounds like you need to sit down with the boss and sort out a proper contract.

Put together the both of you are contracted for 19 hours a week.
Thats not enough to cover rent on a house, let along have anything else remaining.

we have proper contracts.

and thats your opinion.

[C.A.R.]

So getting a house as part of a job offer, means you can be taken advantage of? Sorry, but you dont half chat shit sometimes. So people who get company cars ect means that they should be expected to work for free, even though the car is needed for the job role (read house in piggys situation)

Well to state the bleedin' obvious, this deal is what many would refer to as 'too good to be true' unless you're from another planet...

Hardly talking shit, but surely you would go into something like this with your eyes open?

Your comparison with company cars makes absolutely no sense either!

Sounds like you need to sit down with the boss and sort out a proper contract.

Put together the both of you are contracted for 19 hours a week.
Thats not enough to cover rent on a house, let along have anything else remaining.

Precisely. If you've "averaged" 15 hours a week then it's still less than half what someone in full time employment would be doing. Do you do another job at the same time which is being affected by this?

Sorry to come accross all accusational but you have what appears to be a very easy lifestyle whilst the rest of us (living in the real world) work our bo**ocks off and pay rent or a mortgage without it being subsidised by our employers.

I'm waiting for the clanger that you are surely going to drop which makes this setup so disasterous for you. Perhaps you have to share a bathroom with the livestock or there's maybe a silo of fertilising manure in your dining room?!

[THE_Liam]

It does sound like a pretty good deal to be fair, I mean say your cottage is worth £700 a month in rent. I earn a decent wage but I'd have to work roughly 20 hours a week JUST to cover that...